Liveblogging World War II: October 6, 1942

As I reached the bridge, the corvette opened up on us with guns and machine-guns. I turned hard-a-starboard and went full ahead. Because of the close range, everyone on the bridge, including the commander, was immediately wounded and incapacitated. The first watch officer and I at once got to our feet again. I had several splinters in the arm and the officer had one through the throat. The explosion threw us both down the conning-tower hatch, but we managed to climb back onto the bridge. When my companion was hit several more times in the arm and leg, I ordered him to leave me alone on the bridge. With my one sound arm I helped the wounded lying on the bridge to get back down into the conning tower. One man, a bosun’s mate, had apparently slipped overboard and disappeared without trace.

Meanwhile the corvette kept up continuous fire and I received yet more shell splinters. I put the rudder hard over to avoid being rammed, and tried everything to get into position to fire my torpedoes, while the corvette kept turning towards us and trying to ram. We were circling one another so tightly that their searchlight was lighting up my conning tower from above. We kept closing in until there was a crash. My manoeuvres deadened the impact of the collision but we remained locked together for what seemed an eternity.

When it looked as though I might not be able to fire a shot or even to save the boat I gave the order “stand by lifejackets and escape gear”. Meanwhile I was wounded in the head and my vision was impaired by blood running into my left eye. Owing to the short range (50 metres or less) the corvette’s shells were overshooting, and several times their blast as they passed over spun me round. Then a splinter lodged in my breast-bone.

Time and again I tried to evade, but the corvette followed my every movement. Weakened by loss of blood, and with blood sealing up my left eye, I decided to dive as a drastic measure to save the boat. I took up a parallel course and proceeded slowly ahead of the corvette.

My boat had such a heavy list that our opponent assumed we were about to capsize, and set about ramming us again. I turned hard-a- starboard at the best speed we could muster so that she only went over our stern, Having sulfered damage herself, the corvette could not follow up fast enough and, bow first, I dived at a steep angle. With our riddled bridge, a battered bow, two and a half metres of our stern crushed and a heavy list, we must have looked as though we were sinking. I ordered a depth of 20 metres, then blacked out. The boat slumped to the sea-bed.

When the corvette rammed, she tore the bow cap off a torpedo tube; with the stern tube leaking, water was pouring into the electric motor compartment and could not be kept under control by pumping. Meanwhile the corvette was dropping depth charges. We had to get off the bottom. I decided to surface and make off under cover of darkness. The corvette fired star shells but did not notice me. Damage to U 333 could not yet be assessed, but we were still able to dive. Owing to loss of blood, however, I was not in full possession of my faculties and the second watch officer asked the C-in-C for a medical boat.

Comments

As I reached the bridge, the corvette opened up on us with guns and machine-guns. I turned hard-a-starboard and went full ahead. Because of the close range, everyone on the bridge, including the commander, was immediately wounded and incapacitated. The first watch officer and I at once got to our feet again. I had several splinters in the arm and the officer had one through the throat. The explosion threw us both down the conning-tower hatch, but we managed to climb back onto the bridge. When my companion was hit several more times in the arm and leg, I ordered him to leave me alone on the bridge. With my one sound arm I helped the wounded lying on the bridge to get back down into the conning tower. One man, a bosun’s mate, had apparently slipped overboard and disappeared without trace.